Apparatus for applying a treating liquor to a traveling textile web in a vat are well known. To ensure desired impregnation of treating liquor, such as dye, coating material, or the like, into the interstices of the textile web in a vat, at least one guide roll is typically placed above a lowermost roll in the vat to form a nip for applying pressure to the web as it travels therethrough. The upper guide rolls may be vertically displaceable in bearings to rest under their own weight on the lowermost roll, particularly in connection with relatively thick material. The rolls are not positively driven but, rather, are driven by the pull of the textile web traveling around the rolls. Typically, a textile web is inserted from the top of the vat into the liquor, guided around a lowermost roll, around the other rolls through the nips, and to squeeze rolls disposed above the vat.
Problems occur during the operation of such existing apparatus with a textile web which is longitudinally extendable, such as knit goods. One problem occurs because of the drag imposed on the textile web caused by pulling the undriven rolls, which causes longitudinal extension of the textile web and also produces corresponding reduction in the width of the fabric web